“Aida” is generating excitement at Harrisburg Academy, not only because of the Elton John and Tim Rice score and the fact it’s less well-known in the area. Enthusiasm is also due to the fact that a high school musical is a new venture at the school first year.

“It’s something to be excited about,” said junior Hannah Shea, who is playing one of the lead roles in this year’s musical, Tim Rice and Elton John’s “Aida.” Shea previously attended Susquehanna Twp. High School and participated in “Wizard of Oz” her freshman year, and missed being in a musical last year after changing schools.

“The high school kids really wanted a musical,” said Andrew Jones, Harrisburg Academy music teacher and musical co-director. The school has had a middle school musical for years, which has grown in popularity, said Michael Gamon, also a music teacher at the school and co-director of “Aida.” There have been high school plays and dramas, but Gamon said there's no record of a full-fledged musical.

As a prep school, Gamon said the focus is on academics, and with a smaller enrollment and all the other activities students are involved in, the time commitment required by a high school musical was challenging. But students moving up to the high school wanted to continue their musical experience, and the school’s board of directors agreed to add it this year, Gamon said.

“As music teachers, we never say no to a musical. It’s something we love to do,” Gamon said.

“It’s pretty exciting to participate in the first musical the school has ever done,” said freshman Wesley Sheker, who portrays one of the leads, Capt. Radames. Sheker, who was previously in musicals at his former school, St. Theresa, said it “happened to be good timing” that a musical was scheduled in his first year at Harrisburg Academy.

Neither Shea nor Sheker were acquainted with “Aida,” but are enthusiastic about the music in the Tim Rice/Elton John version of the Verdi opera. “We never heard of it before, but it’s pretty cool music,” Sheker said, although not a stereotypical musical. “There’s a lot of rock and pop mix, and even a reggae song,” he said.

Shea, who portrays Nehebka, Aida’s best friend, and is also Aida’s understudy, particularly likes a gospel number. “It’s been interesting, just because the music is so different. It’s helped all of us grow as singers,” Shea said.

“Aida” was a dark horse candidate that rose to the top later in the selection process, Gamon said. He liked that the show has a flexible cast size, since he wasn’t sure the number of students it would attract. The cast of 24, which includes a few middle school students, is just right.

The show also fit the student talent, with several strong female roles and a few for males. Those in the ensemble may straddle several roles, ranging from servant to soldier to slave.

Gamon said he also likes doing a more unusual show so students are less likely to compare themselves with their peers.

“The kids rose to the occasion,” he said, and were excited to do a musical that hasn’t been done much, as well as one with which they were less acquainted. The students might not know the Verdi opera, but they know the music of Elton John and Tim Rice, Jones said.

This version of “Aida” is totally different from the opera, with two acts instead of four, Gamon said. It focuses more on the love triangle between Aida, a Nubian princess stolen from her country; Amneris, an Egyptian princess; and Radames, the soldier they both love. “It’s about duty, and a woman who falls in love with the last person on earth she should have,” Gamon said.

There’s also a variety of musical styles, ranging from rock to reggae and gospel. Another plus is that the set demands are low, since the school’s stage doesn’t have space to “fly” sets.

In addition to the main cast, “Aida” has six students backstage on lighting, sound and stage, six in the pit and more on the management side, selling tickets and doing publicity. The school’s art department has created 3-D renderings that will be projected onstage, with some props being borrowed from Theater Harrisburg.

Being in the musical at Harrisburg Academy doesn’t mean giving up sports, Gamon said, with cooperation between the drama and athletic departments. He said there are seven students in the musical who are also involved in sports. “We give them the best of both worlds, rather than fighting over people or begging people,” he said.

“Our kids are well-rounded, and spread throughout the community,” Johnson said, estimating about 30 percent of the student body is involved in musical activities, alongside a wide array of school and community activities.

Both Shea and Sheker are doing the musical alongside a full schedule of academics and other activities. Shea is taking six International Baccalaureate courses, which are similar to Advanced Placement courses, but decided not to play softball this spring.

Sheker has been busy in Model UN, and is getting ready to start soccer. “This is a great experience to hang out with kids and act and sing,” Sheker said, adding that the skills he learns will be useful in a lot of different endeavors. “It’s a lot of fun to play a character you’re not,” he said, like the arrogant Capt. Radames.

Shea agrees. “You see this part that you’re nothing like, and you get to explore it. It helps to discover who you are.”

The students say they’re also growing musically. Sheker said he’s had to work on his “form” to fit his role. “I love singing, but I have a tendency to belt. I had to work on that,” he said.

“I’m the opposite,” said Shea, who previously had classical training. “I learned how to belt” for the gospel number, she said.

If you go

WHAT: "Aida."

WHEN: 7 p.m. March 15-16 and 2 p.m. March 17.

WHERE: Harrisburg Academy, 10 Erford Road, Wormleysburg.

INFO:Tickets are available online and are $10 for adults and $8 for students.

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